Uppinangady

Uppinangady Village is Administered by Grama Panchayat. The area under the Uppinangadi Gram Panchayat's jurisdiction is roughly 10 km. It has six wards with a total membership of 20 people. According to the 2011 Census, there are 1544 families and 7813 people living in the Town overall, including 3901 men and 3912 women. Uppinangady Gram Panchayat is part of the Puttur Taluk Panchayat and the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Constituency. Uppinangady village has 4 temples, 3 mosques, 1 church, 6 madrasas, and 2 bhajan mandirs. There is one primary health centre, nine schools, two colleges, and ten Anganwadi Centers, Village Development Project Self Help Group,JCI, Rotary Club, 8 Asha Workers, 2 Fair Price Shops, Primary Agriculture Self Help Group are all under the jurisdiction of Gram Panchayat and work together for the development of the Village. Uppinangady is the major commercial hub for Shiradi to Kodimbadi in the Puttur taluk, Ramakunja, Alankaru, Biliyur to Perne in the Bantwal taluk, and more than 6 grama panchayats in the Belthangadi taluk. Uppinangady is also passed by the national highway that runs between Mangalore and Bangalore. Due to all of these factors, Uppinangady is a thriving business centre. Uppinangadi Gram Panchayat's own grant includes not only house tax but also income from business license of around 700 shops in the town and rent of panchayat buildings. Official Website of Uppinangady Grama Panchayat: http://uppinangadigp.com/

Its legend dates back to the time of Mahabharata. The Skanda Purana states that when King Yudhisthira decided to perform the Rajasuya Yagna (to proclaim his sovereignty), he sent Bhima to present day Uppinangady. There, he was attacked by the huge giant animal named Purusha Mruga. To avoid attack, he dropped one of his hairs, which instantly turned into a Shivalinga. Seeing this, Purusha Mruga stopped to worship the Linga & then proceeded to attack. Bhima again dropped a hair, which turned into another Shivalinga. This happened for quite sometime. Finally, he dropped a handful of his hair, which instantly turned into a thousand Shivalingas. Purusha Mruga stopped to worship all the Lingas, giving time to escape. The Sangama (confluence) of Kumaradhara & Netravati rivers happen near the temple. However, during the monsoon, this confluence takes place directly in front of the sanctum sanctorum. It is considered an auspicious moment to bathe in the rivers' waters. It is also said that the 1000 Shivalingas, hidden deep in the sand, are revealed when the sand recedes.And particularly only one Shiva linga receives Abishekam during the festival by the people. And this linga is the origin(Moola Sthala) of the Sahasra Lingeshwara Temple located exactly at the confluence of the two rivers.And to the left of this Shiva temple ,there is a Maha Kali and Kala Bhairav Temple(Kala bhairav idol is located inside Garbha graha of Kali temple). The reason why this place is called Dakshina Kashi is because,there is a confluence of three rivers (one is guptagamini) , and there are temples dedicated to Shiva, Kali and Kal Bhairav in the same premise, just like the Kashi in Varanasi. Interestingly , it is believed that all the Daivas of Tulu Nadu originated here in Uppinangady at the confluence of Nethravathi and Kumaradhara rivers. All these Daivas came from above the Western ghats and met here at Uppinangady and they spread throughout Tulu Nadu.

Uppinangady is at the foothills of the Western Ghats in Dakhshina Kannada district, surrounded by forests. Uppinangady lies on National Highway 75 which connects Mangaluru to Bengaluru. There are frequent bus and taxi service from this place to Mangaluru and its taluk headquarters Puttur and also to Kukke Subramanya. The nearest railway station is Puttur Railway station located at a distance of 12 km. The nearest airport is Mangalore International airport 55 km away.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uppinangady.

• http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/19/Uppinangadi.html
• Herald A. Stewart, A Handbook to South Kanara, 1895
• http://www.sunmediaonline.com/indiachroniclenovember/travel.html
• South Canara Gazetteers 1894,1938,1973